The Transboundary Approaches to Sustainable Forest Management for Enhancing Climate Resilience and Reducing Disaster Risk in the Himalayas (TRANSMIT) project addresses the urgent need to strengthen climate resilience and reduce disaster risks in mountain forests. These forests provide vital ecosystem services but are increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities, leading to hazards such as forest fires, landslides and floods. The project focuses on the Mahakali/Sharda River basin, a transboundary region spanning Nepal and India, where understanding of forest dynamics, degradation drivers and ecosystem-social interactions remains limited.
TRANSMIT adopts a transboundary, system-oriented approach, integrating ecological, social and economic perspectives. The project leverages cutting-edge technologies, including Earth Observation and artificial intelligence, while actively engaging local stakeholders to co-generate knowledge.
Key objectives include: increasing knowledge on past, present and future forest dynamics and ecosystem service; assessing drivers of deforestation, degradation, forest fires and disaster risks; enhancing community resilience with attention to marginalized groups; strengthening capacities of forest managers and stakeholders; and supporting the establishment of a regional fire management resource center.
By fostering collaboration among academics, practitioners and local communities, TRANSMIT ensures interventions are relevant, transferable and impactful. Hands-on trainings and evidence-based decision-making will enable communities to adapt effectively to climate change.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and lead by the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, with research coordination from UNU-EHS, TRANSMIT partners with ICIMOD, ICFRE, Forest Action, NFMC, and GFMC to implement a holistic, transdisciplinary strategy for sustainable forest management in the Himalayas.
